Media Center

ACA National Conference Hosts Musician, Expert, and Author

Martinsville, IN (January 27, 2011) — The American Camp Association® (ACA) is pleased to showcase three well known celebrities at the 2011 National Conference in San Diego, California. Singer and songwriter Lisa Loeb, nationally recognized child and family psychologist and NY Times bestselling author Michael Thompson, and author Diane Falanga will be featured.

Special guest and friend to camp Lisa Loeb will perform at this year's national conference during a special 150th anniversary of camp event on Thursday, February 10. Lisa has demonstrated a meaningful commitment to camp through song and generosity through her foundation, which helps send children-in-need to camp. In addition to her foundation work, Lisa worked with ACA's Because of Camp . . . ® public awareness campaign, lending her voice and story to the effort.

Nationally recognized psychologist and author, Michael Thompson, Ph.D., will serve as the keynote speaker for the Healthy Camp symposium on Wednesday, February 9. Thompson is the author or co-author of eight books, including The New York Times bestseller Raising Cain: Protecting the Emotional Life of Boys, which became a two-hour PBS documentary and details ways to nurture and protect the emotional life of boys, and It's a Boy!: Understanding Your Son's Development from Birth to Age 18. In addition to his keynote address, he will lead several educational workshops at the conference on topics including the social world of childhood, parent-camp relationships, adolescence, and the importance of free play.

Diane Falanga, author of P.S. I Hate It Here! Kids’ Letters From Camp, will be addressing the general session during the closing keynote brunch on Friday, February 11. Inspired by her daughter’s letters from camp, Falanga gathered hundreds of camp letters for her collection, which has been optioned by Disney for adaptation to television.

The annual conference, held at the Hilton San Diego Bayfront, will bring together over 1,000 camp and youth development professionals to participate in four education-packed days in over 150 education sessions.

During the conference, members of the news media will have the opportunity to interview featured presenters, keynote speakers, and ACA spokespersons. For your convenience, you can register online for the conference. For additional information, interview requests, and press credentials, please contact Dawn Swindle at dswindle@ACAcamps.org or 765-349-3317.

About ACA
The American Camp Association® (ACA) works to preserve, promote, and enhance the camp experience for children and adults. ACA-Accredited® camp programs ensure that children are provided with a diversity of educational and developmentally challenging learning opportunities. There are over 2,400 ACA-accredited camps that meet up to 300 health and safety standards. For more information, visit www.ACAcamps.org.